Gregg Rosenthal

Offseason Low Down

Minicamp Tour: NFC West, South

Kevin Jones is the only game-changing running back left on the market. By game changing, I mean that his presence dramatically alter the fantasy values of all his new teammates. At this point, I don't even expect Shaun Alexander and Travis Henry to get signed. LaMont Jordan will be cut, but he's more of a role player. Same with Najeh Davenport. Ron Dayne is somewhere, wondering where it all went wrong.

Tampa's reported interest in Jones is telling. They don't quite see Earnest Graham as a true franchise back ( look at his contract) and perhaps they are realizing that Michael Bennett and Warrick are better names than players. The other prime landing spot for the out-of-work back is New Orleans, where Deuce McAllister's career is still in question. Second-year pro Pierre Thomas is one of our favorite sleepers, but the Saints might get nervous with him as Reggie Bush's tag team partner, especially with Thomas nursing a sore groin in June.

Editor's Note: Thomas is ranked 41st at running back in Rotoworld's latest online draft guide cheat sheets. For access to all the projections, tiers, articles and stats, click here.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: Forget the Joe Horn rumors to Dallas. The Cowboys know that he's done as a productive pro. So do the Falcons; expect Horn to get released before the season. (And yes, the demise of Hollywood makes Gregg Rosenthal very depressed.) … In a column for our second magazine, a Falcons beat writer estimated that Matt Ryan would be starting by Week 4. Keep that in mind when projecting Roddy White's chance for a repeat season. … If Laurent Robinson was on any other team, he'd be one of our favorite deep sleepers. Of course he probably wouldn't bet starting on most teams. Still, the second-year pro has a chance to develop into a poor man's Lee Evans.

Carolina Panthers: Everyone in Carolina says Jake Delhomme's arm got stronger like some baseball pitchers after Tommy John surgery, which sounds great. 300-pound men don't tackle relief pitchers, though. We are still skeptical Delhomme will be as accurate as he used to be, and he has always been streaky. I would bet that Matt Moore starts multiple games for the Panthers. … Dwayne Jarrett is going to need an injury by D.J. Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad to play in his second season. For now, Moose looks like the starter, although I expect a rotation no matter who gets the Week 1 call. … Jonathan Stewart is expected to carry the load for the Panthers this season, but he still hasn't practiced because of his toe injury. He's supposed to be ready for the start of camp.

New Orleans Saints: The Saints have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for LaMont Jordan and other running backs. That supports my belief that Deuce McAllister is highly unlikely to contribute much this season. Unfortunately, another teammate would be bad news for Rotoworld's favorite ADP value, Pierre Thomas. … Marques Colston's knee surgery proved to be minor, and he was fully practicing in June. Colston still has room to improve entering his third season, making him a potential top-five wideout. … Robert Meachem predictably enjoyed an improved offseason. The second-year pro has an outside chance to start, although I expect Devery Henderson, David Patten, and Meachem to cancel each other out.

Tampa Bay Bucs: I wrote in the blog that Earnest Graham's contract wasn't a good sign for how the Bucs view him. He's being paid like a backup, and anyone drafting Graham has to worry that Warrick Dunn and Michael Bennett will cut into his workload. Still, I don't remotely trust Dunn or Bennett, and perhaps the Bucs don't either. Tampa's reported interest in Kevin Jones clouds the picture further. Jones' versatility would be a perfect fit for that roster, although it's uncertain how soon he'll be ready to play football again. Carnell Williams is likely to start the year on the PUP list and may not be ready until late in the season. … Going into training camp, it looks like Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton are battling for a starting gig, with Ike Hilliard likely to man the slot. Bryant should have the edge in talent and is one of our favorite sleepers if he gets the job. … Luke McCown has surprisingly stayed ahead of Brian Griese for the backup quarterback job. I expect McCown to start a few games this year, whether it's due to poor play from Jeff Garcia or an injury.

Kevin Jones is the only game-changing running back left on the market. By game changing, I mean that his presence dramatically alter the fantasy values of all his new teammates. At this point, I don't even expect Shaun Alexander and Travis Henry to get signed. LaMont Jordan will be cut, but he's more of a role player. Same with Najeh Davenport. Ron Dayne is somewhere, wondering where it all went wrong.

Tampa's reported interest in Jones is telling. They don't quite see Earnest Graham as a true franchise back ( look at his contract) and perhaps they are realizing that Michael Bennett and Warrick are better names than players. The other prime landing spot for the out-of-work back is New Orleans, where Deuce McAllister's career is still in question. Second-year pro Pierre Thomas is one of our favorite sleepers, but the Saints might get nervous with him as Reggie Bush's tag team partner, especially with Thomas nursing a sore groin in June.

Editor's Note: Thomas is ranked 41st at running back in Rotoworld's latest online draft guide cheat sheets. For access to all the projections, tiers, articles and stats, click here.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: Forget the Joe Horn rumors to Dallas. The Cowboys know that he's done as a productive pro. So do the Falcons; expect Horn to get released before the season. (And yes, the demise of Hollywood makes Gregg Rosenthal very depressed.) … In a column for our second magazine, a Falcons beat writer estimated that Matt Ryan would be starting by Week 4. Keep that in mind when projecting Roddy White's chance for a repeat season. … If Laurent Robinson was on any other team, he'd be one of our favorite deep sleepers. Of course he probably wouldn't bet starting on most teams. Still, the second-year pro has a chance to develop into a poor man's Lee Evans.

Carolina Panthers: Everyone in Carolina says Jake Delhomme's arm got stronger like some baseball pitchers after Tommy John surgery, which sounds great. 300-pound men don't tackle relief pitchers, though. We are still skeptical Delhomme will be as accurate as he used to be, and he has always been streaky. I would bet that Matt Moore starts multiple games for the Panthers. … Dwayne Jarrett is going to need an injury by D.J. Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad to play in his second season. For now, Moose looks like the starter, although I expect a rotation no matter who gets the Week 1 call. … Jonathan Stewart is expected to carry the load for the Panthers this season, but he still hasn't practiced because of his toe injury. He's supposed to be ready for the start of camp.

New Orleans Saints: The Saints have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for LaMont Jordan and other running backs. That supports my belief that Deuce McAllister is highly unlikely to contribute much this season. Unfortunately, another teammate would be bad news for Rotoworld's favorite ADP value, Pierre Thomas. … Marques Colston's knee surgery proved to be minor, and he was fully practicing in June. Colston still has room to improve entering his third season, making him a potential top-five wideout. … Robert Meachem predictably enjoyed an improved offseason. The second-year pro has an outside chance to start, although I expect Devery Henderson, David Patten, and Meachem to cancel each other out.

Tampa Bay Bucs: I wrote in the blog that Earnest Graham's contract wasn't a good sign for how the Bucs view him. He's being paid like a backup, and anyone drafting Graham has to worry that Warrick Dunn and Michael Bennett will cut into his workload. Still, I don't remotely trust Dunn or Bennett, and perhaps the Bucs don't either. Tampa's reported interest in Kevin Jones clouds the picture further. Jones' versatility would be a perfect fit for that roster, although it's uncertain how soon he'll be ready to play football again. Carnell Williams is likely to start the year on the PUP list and may not be ready until late in the season. … Going into training camp, it looks like Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton are battling for a starting gig, with Ike Hilliard likely to man the slot. Bryant should have the edge in talent and is one of our favorite sleepers if he gets the job. … Luke McCown has surprisingly stayed ahead of Brian Griese for the backup quarterback job. I expect McCown to start a few games this year, whether it's due to poor play from Jeff Garcia or an injury. NFC West

Arizona Cardinals:Matt Leinart is the starter, but Ken Whisenhunt made it clear that he's on a short leash. Working in Leinart's favor is that Arizona's schedule sets up favorably the first five weeks of the season. … Anquan Boldin wants a new contract, but it isn't a major concern for fantasy leaguers. He should be on time for camp. … Steve Breaston is the early favorite for third receiver duties, although we'd bet on third-round pick Early Doucet getting most of the work by the end of the season. Neither is very interesting unless Boldin or Larry Fitzgerald gets hurt. … The Cardinals are going to remain a pass-first team because of personnel. Edgerrin James might be more effective with less work, but so far his backups (Tim Hightower, J.J. Arrington, Marcel Shipp) haven't shined.

San Francisco 49ers: Since Mike Martz aggressively praises all his players, it's hard to get a read on San Francisco's jumbled roster. Alex Smith remains the heavy favorite to start at quarterback, but he hasn't pulled away from Shaun Hill just yet. Bryant Johnson and Isaac Bruce appear locked in to the starting wideout jobs, with Arnaz Battle likely to be number three. Jason Hill and Ashley Lelie are probably fighting for scraps. … Perhaps the most promising thing to come out of summer reports is Martz's eagerness to split Vernon Davis out wide and use him often as a receiver. Martz hasn't used tight ends as receivers much in the past, but he could be adjusting his playbook. … It's also clear that the offense will run through Frank Gore, like Martz once did for Marshall Faulk. Expect at least 70 catches. I see the world through Gore-colored glasses, but I think fewer carries will keep him healthy.

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks wide receiver position is wide open, although we expect Bobby Engram to settle his contract dispute and start opposite Nate Burleson. That leaves Courtney Taylor, Logan Payne, and Ben Obomanu fighting for the third spot. Taylor looks like the slight favorite, and the winner here will be a nice deep league sleeper. … Matt Hasselbeck is going to get overdrafted based on last season's numbers. His pass attempt total is likely to go way down, and the receiver position is weaker than it's even been in Hasselbeck's career. … It's clear Mike Holmgren isn't a huge T.J. Duckett fan. We don't expect him to have a major role, even in short-yardage situations. Julius Jones should get the majority of the carries, with Maurice Morris looking like a fine late round pick. … Rookie John Carlson is no lock to start at tight end, so he's someone to avoid. .

St. Louis Rams:Steven Jackson's colonic aside, it's been a quiet offseason in St. Louis. Just ask Evan Silva about the local Rams coverage if you want to hear a bitter man. While Jackson has struggled with a few minor injuries, he will be supremely motivated to have a great contract year. The big question is whether the St. Louis offensive line is any better. If Orlando Pace got hurt again, it could get ugly. … Torry Holt appears to be healthy this offseason, which is great news after struggling with a knee injury for the last two seasons. … Al Saunders does a great job with tight ends, which makes Randy McMichael a reasonable TE2 option in deeper leagues. Someone has to catch passes in St. Louis, and the reserves at wideout are weak. That also bodes well for Drew Bennett, who is getting overlooked in most drafts. I'm not a huge believer in his talent, but he'll get a lot of targets for a late-round pick. Bennett was taken earlier last season when he was coming off the bench.